The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-09-01
1--WE ARE WITNESSES. "
Discourse by Rev. DR.. Talmage at the
Hamptonss

The World VIII BE Brought to God Not
Through Argument, but Through Testi-
mOny-The Christians Weapon in the
Conflict Is Faith, Not Logic.
THE HAMPToNs, Aug. 21.-"The Facts
Proved is The subject Of discourse by the
Rev. y. De Witt Talmage, D. D., to-day.
His text is from Acts XIV, 3: "We are wit
nesses." Following is his sermon in full:
In the days of George Stephenson, the
perfector OF the locomotive engine, the
scientists proved conclusively that rail-
way train could never be driven by steam
power successfully and without peril; but
the rushing express trains from Liverpool
to Edinburg, and from Edinburg to Lon
don, have made all the nations witnesses
of the splendid achievement. Machinists
and navigators proved conclusively that 4
steamer could never cross the Atlantic
ocean; but no sooner had they successfully
proved the impossibility of such an UNDER
taking than the work was done, and the
passengers on the Cunard and the lnmnn
and the National and the White Star lines
are witnesses. There went up q guifaw of
wise laughter at Professor Morses propo-
sition to make the lightning of heaven his
errand boy, andit was proved cguclu-iyely
all the news of the wide world, by Assoc
ciated Press, put in your hands every
morning and night, has made all nations
witnesses.
SO in the time Of Christ it was proved
conclusiyely that it was impossible for II lin
to rise from the dead. 1t was shown log
ically that when He was dead He was dead,
and the heart and the liver and the lungs
having ceased to perform their Offices, the
limbs would be rigid beyond all power of
friction OF arousal. They showed it to be
an absolute absurdity that the dead Christ
should ever get up alive; but no sooner had
they proved this than the dead Christ
arose, and the disciples behind Him, hea d
His voice and talked with Him, and they
took the witness stand to prove that to be
true which the wiseacres Of the day had
proved to be impossible; the record Of he
experiment and Of the testimony is in tie
text "Him hath God raised from the
dead, whereof we are witnesses"
Now, let me play the skepdc FOR mo-
ment. "Ihcre is no God" says She skep-
tic, "ior l have never seen Him with my
physical ayesight. Your Bible is \ pacl;
OF contradictions. There never was a
miracle. Lazarus was not raised from The
dead, and the water was never ,u0ei into
wine. Nour re.i ion is au mu9-iiol on
the or dulIly OF the age..' IAore is an
aged man moving in th.t rew as though lie
would like to respond. Hsr3 are reds
of people with faces lille .'ushedat these
announcements, and al through this house
there is a suppressed feeling which would
like to spenk out in behalf of the truth Of
our glorious Christianity, as IL the days OF
the text, crying out: we are Witnesses"
The fact is, ihat ii tLjs world is ever
brought to God, it will not be tLroU1 h
argument, but through testimony AoI
might cover the whole earth with apologies
for Christianity and learned treatises in
defense of rcligion-you would not convert
q soul. Lectures on the harmony between
science and iiion are beautiful meut
discipline, nut have never saved a soul,
and never will save a soul. Put man OF
the world and q mau OF the church against
each other and the man Of the world will
in all probability get the triumph. There
are a thousand things in our religion that
seem lilo ical to the world, and always will
seem illogical.
Our weapon in this conflict is faith, not
logic faith, not metaphysics; faith, not
profundity; faith. not scholastic eEplora-
ton. But then, IN order to have faith we
must have testimony, ana If $50 men, on
LOCO men, or 3oU,uU' men, or .,VUl,uuu
4 men get up and tell me that they have felt
4 the religion OF Jesus hrst Joy, COM
fort, help, an inspiration, am Iound as
| afnir- minded man to accept thelrtestmony
l want lust now TO put before YoQ three
propositions the truth o. when L th!nI
this audience Will attest with overwhelming
unanimity.
The first proposition i: "eare witnesses
that the religion OF Christ is abiet convert
a soul.
The Gospel may have had nara Nme 10
conquer rs. we may have foug4t II back,
but we were Yanqu'sned. Ion say con
1 version is only an imaginary thinc. we
know better. I'VE are Witnesses" there
| never was so great change IN our heart
and life On any other subject as on this.
People lnuGhed at the missionaries IN
Madagascar necnuse they preached ten
years without one convert; but there are
33,OOG converts IN Madagascar to-day
Peopie laughed at Dr. JUIson, the haplSI
missionary, because ne Kept On preaching
| in Burmah i've years without single con-
vert; but there are @,5o,' EPus Is IN
| Burmah To-Day. People laughed az r.
Morrison, IN China, for preaching there
seven years without single conversion;
but there are lo,Ooo Christians III emma
to-day: People laughed 3t the mission
| aries for preaching at TAHITI for fifteen
years without single conversion, and at
the missionaries for preaching III Bengal
seventeen years without a single conyer-
| sion; yet in all those lands there are multl-
tudes of Christians to-day:
But why go so lar to ind evidences OF
the Gospeis power to save soul! I'VE
are witnesses" We were 80 proud that no
man could have humbled us; we were SO
hard that no earthly power could have
melted us; angels OF God We're all around
about us, they could not overcome us; but
one daV' perhaps at Methodist anxious
seat, or at presbyterian catechellcal
lecture, or at burial, or on horseback
| power seized us, and made us get down,